Grim'Lok's alarm wakes before he does, ringing endlessly before someone runs into the room.
"Turn that damn alarm off!" Risaki Payne commands as he slams his fist down on the alarm, turning it off.
Grim'Lok stirs in his sleep, before sitting up. "Stop screaming old man.." Grim'Lok says while yawning but Risaki flicks his forehead causing Grim'Lok to clutch at the spot he flicked.
"What was that for!" Grim'Lok protests as Risaki puts his hands on his hips.
"I told you to be ready for training for tomorrow and what do you do? Sleep?"
His chuckles are soft and soothing as he walks towards the door.
"Get ready for training." Grim'Lok immediately interjects, "Wait a minute!" He stands up running towards him, "You never told me what we're training!"
His voice echoes through the empty halls.
Grim'Lok steps out of the shower, his long black hair pulled back into a ponytail.
He slips his Gi on and makes his way to the Main hall.
"I'm pumped!" Grim'Lok clenches his fist in excitement as Nay walks towards him, her eyes drowsy.
"I don't wanna train today."
Grim'Lok grabs her shoulders and starts shaking her back and forth.
"Why would you say that outloud you know how he is? Where is he anyway?"
As if on cue a cloud of smoke appears in front of the altar and a shadowy figure stands inside of it.
"Alright."
The figure walks through the smoke revealing Risaki Payne.
"First I'll teach you how to understand Chikara."
he says as he walks towards Grim'Lok, his steps elegant and light.
"Chikara is not something you wield like a sword, nor is it a force you control with mere willpower. It is the essence of life itself, flowing through all things. It exists in every tree, every gust of wind, every drop of water, and even in the air we breathe. It is both gentle and fierce, and your understanding of it will come from how you perceive the world around you."
His voice is full of wisdom and maturity, he stops in front of them, looking up at Grim'Lok who's 6 '5 height towers over his 5' 7.
"To begin, you must first silence your mind. Focus not on power, but on connection. Feel the energy within and around you. Breathe deeply, and let your senses stretch beyond your body and into the earth, the sky, and all living things."
Grim'Lok looks at him with visible confusion and Risaki sighs "In other words close your eyes, have your hands to your sides and focus on the connection with the energy around you."
Grim'Lok nods as he turns to Nay.
"Too easy."
She says with a grin as she closes her eyes and relaxes, feeling the connection and allowing it to flow within her body.
It pulses with energy as she catches on.
"I get it now. It's like breathing." She says as the air softly swirls around her
"Exactly Nay, this is why you're my best student." Risaki says knowing it'll piss Grim'Lok off and motivate him.
Grim'Lok grits his teeth in irritation as he puts his hands to his side and closes his eyes.
"Alright, just breathe."
Grim'Loks body starts to calm itself as he starts focusing on the connection with the energy around him.
"Okay.." He thought to himself as the ground beneath him felt watery.
His arms rise as he inhales and lowers as he exhales.
"Good." Risaki Payne says as he analyzes both Grim'Lok and Nay.
"You two are showing more potential than I thought you had." He puts his hand on his head as they both open their eyes.
"What did you say?" Nay's voice is sinister and Grim'Loks eye twitches.
"Yeah what did you say?" Grim'Lok says as Risaki sighs, before disappearing before their very eyes.
"Where did he go?" Nay takes a step back as Grim'Lok turns around looking Risaki in the eyes as he stands behind them now. "Ahem."
Risaki's voice causes Nay to turn around.
"Now that you've got that down. Get into your warrior stance."
Immediately as he says this Grim'Lok gets into his stance, a southpaw with his right hand as his lead. Nay looks at Risaki with a raised eyebrow.
"Are you planning on fighting us or something?"
Risaki flicks her forehead faster than she can react.
"Just do as I say."
Nay rubs the spot he flicked then gets into her warrior stance.
"Now, Inhale as you pull your arms into your chest. Feel the Chikara enter your arms then flow through your body."
Payne says as he gets into his stance to demonstrate, he pulls his arm towards his chest feeling the chikara enter and flow throughout his body. A faint glow appears around him as he exhales and pushes his arms forwards creating a barrier.
Grim'Lok and Nay mirror exactly what he does, summoning their own barrier.
"This is way too easy."
This causes Risaki to tilt his head as he thinks to himself. "These two might already be able to take the exam sooner than I thought."
Risaki clears his throat to gather their attention. "Alright focus now. Most people cannot get past the first stage let alone the third so be sure to pay attention."
Grim'Lok and Nay nod and stare at Risaki as he slightly bends his knees getting into a lower position. "Get into this stance now." His voice, now more commanding than before, causes Grim'Lok and Nay to mimic his stance.
"Now hold your arm out and visualize a ball in your hand." Risaki says as he holds his arm forward, his palm pointed outward. "Once visualized, guide the flow of your energy to your palm." Chikara starts to visualize and swirl in his palm.
Grim'Lok's eyes focus and analyze the way the Chikara forms and solidifies into a solid sphere of energy.
"Like this?"
Risaki Payne grins and nods enthusiastically, clenching his fist as he does.
"These two are prodigies even by OMEN's standards. Mastering the first 3 stages of Chikara and it's barely been 20 minutes since we started training!" His thoughts race as he watches Nay summon a Chikara ball of her own.
"You two seem to have a natural affinity for Chikara." Risaki's words cause Nay to cheer out, but quickly he cuts her off.
"Which is why we won't waste time blitzing through these last two steps." Risaki says as he gets into a more neutral stance.
"Mimic this stance." Risaki's voice is commanding as Nay and Grim'Lok mimic his stance almost perfectly.
"With your hands open at your sides, breathe evenly and allow the energy you've gathered to flow naturally."
Grim'Lok does exactly that, feeling the Chikara inside him flowing throughout his entire being.
Nay on the other hand is already past the 4th step, the ground rumbles slightly as she masters the basic chikara charging in front of their very eyes.
"You truly are gifted."
Risaki watches as the tree in the middle of the dojo starts glowing and the roots inch towards Nay..
Grim'Lok gets into a relaxed state and begins to visualize himself becoming one with the flow of Chikara. "Let the energy pulse gently through your body. When you reach this point, your control over Chikara should be seamless, natural, and steady. You are connected to the flow of life."
Risaki says as Grim'Lok's energy starts surging, his body becoming one with the flow of his Chikara. His body starts emitting a bright glow as he continues charging his Chikara.
"I got the hang of it." Grim'Lok declares as he opens his eyes, the glow fading and he starts stretching. "Man, I'm spent."
Grim'Lok yawns as Risaki analyzes them both. "You both are already past the Seishin tier. Never have I had two students ascend to Kensei so fast, and to think Grim'Lok did it in a day.."
As the sunsets off in the distance three asked figures watch the Sacred Forest of Gomen from on top The Dark Highlands, a mountain range with a perpetual storm cloud over it shrouding it permanently in darkness. "You think he's in there?" A masked man says as he stares down seeing the Dipea-Kicho Dojo. "Especially since that Dojo wasn't there a few days ago."
As they turn around seeing the ashes bark and blood-red leaves of the scattered trees. They start walking towards a lone obsidian spire protruding unnaturally from the ground. The sound of thunder booms through the area as the storm cloud above them gets stronger.
"Once he's dead we can open the seal." They stop in front of the obsidian spire watching as it starts to glow a faint red glow. "My chest feels like it's burning." The masked figure on the right carrying a more feminine voice says.
As she finishes talking a black lighting bolt strikes down on the spire. "That reminds me of a certain someone." The one in the middle says as he adjusts his mask. "In 3 months we'll come to collect his head. First we need to prepare." The rest nod as they all vanish into thin air.